Bank of Japan Expected to Hold at 1.25% but Keep December Hike in Play
Sources say the board may nudge up its inflation forecast this week as senior officials signal underlying inflation is close to 2%.
Japan
Bank of Japan
- Bank of Japan
Bank of Japan Holds at 1.25% in 8-1 Vote, Lifts Inflation Forecast and Speeds ETF Sales
Board member Hajime Takata pushed for 1.5%, and the central bank will more than double the pace of its ETF sales from January 2027.
- Earnings
Advantest Lifts Profit Forecast 14% to 967 Billion Yen After Record AI Tester Quarter
The Japanese chip-test maker posted a 55.9% operating margin, raised its dividend and set a buyback of up to 280 billion yen.
- Markets
Nikkei 225 Falls 3.6% by Midday as Chip Stocks Slide After Japan's Holiday Break
Tokyo reopened after Culture Day to catch up with a 7.2% drop in U.S. chip shares, and Kioxia has now lost about a quarter of its value in two sessions.
- Earnings
Tokyo Electron Sees Operating Profit Up 87% to 1.17 Trillion Yen as AI Chip Orders Surge
Japan's largest chip equipment maker set a record full-year outlook, lifted its industry forecast and announced a buyback of up to 150 billion yen.
- Markets
Nikkei 225 Sheds 5.2% in October as AI Selloff Hits Kioxia and Chip Stocks
Japan's benchmark swung from near-record levels to a 12% drawdown in three weeks, and Kioxia's flat guidance signaled that the memory price boom may be cooling.
- Earnings
Hitachi Raises Revenue Forecast to 12 Trillion Yen as Power Grid Orders Jump 50%
Record July-September sales and adjusted EBITA at the Japanese conglomerate came with a higher dividend and a 920 billion yen net income target.
- Earnings
Panasonic Raises Net Profit Forecast 20% to 540 Billion Yen as Battery Earnings Surge
First-half net profit nearly doubled on electric-vehicle and data center battery sales, and the Osaka group lifted its annual dividend to 70 yen.
- Earnings
Sumitomo Corp Raises Profit Forecast to 670 Billion Yen and Lifts Dividend on Gas and Metals
First-half profit at the Japanese trading house rose 15.5% to 347.9 billion yen as copper, aluminum and gas trading offset weaker property and auto earnings.
- Earnings
SoftBank Swings to 1.1 Trillion Yen Quarterly Loss on U.S. Data Center Write-Off and Debt Costs
A 597 billion yen charge on power equipment for U.S. AI data centers and doubled interest costs pushed Masayoshi Son's group into the red for the first half.
- Earnings
ORIX First-Half Profit Triples to 856 Billion Yen on Kioxia Gain via Toshiba Stake
Nearly two-thirds of the Tokyo financial group's interim profit came from Kioxia share gains booked through its Toshiba investment, and it is paying dividends only on the rest.
- Economy
Japan Factory Output Jumps 2.2% in September as Retail Sales Fall for a Second Month
Carmakers drove the rebound and manufacturers expect a 5.1% gain in October, while shoppers pulled back and Tokyo's underlying inflation cooled.
- Autos
Japan's October New Vehicle Sales Fall 3.4% as Minivehicle Demand Drops 10%
Registered cars eked out a 0.5% gain on Honda, Nissan and Subaru, but Daihatsu and Suzuki minivehicles dragged the market lower and Toyota slipped.
- Economy
Japan to Lift Gasoline Price Target by 5 Yen in December as Takaichi Trims Subsidies
Tokyo will let pump prices climb from about 170 yen a liter in weekly steps, its first move to scale back fuel support introduced after the Middle East shock.
- Bank of Japan
Japan's Monetary Base Falls 13.6% but Posts First Monthly Rise Since February 2025
The Bank of Japan's balance sheet shrinkage slowed as reserves steadied, weeks before a December rate decision at which economists quoted by Reuters expect a hike.
- Economy
Japan Consumer Confidence Slips to 35.0 as 48% of Households Brace for 5%-Plus Inflation
All four parts of the Cabinet Office index weakened for the month, and the share of families expecting prices to jump at least 5% rose again.
- Fiscal Policy
Takaichi Orders Multi-Year Budget Plan for Japan's Regions as Local Plans Top 100
A separate spending window for local industry and infrastructure will be set out by year-end, as ministries chase a record 143 trillion yen budget for fiscal 2027.
- Deals
Kakaku.com Bidding War Heads to Nov. 12 Deadline as Bain, LY Offer 3,700 Yen
EQT has raised its offer seven times and the stock closed above both bids on Oct. 28, while a Murakami-linked fund's Sankei REIT offer closes Nov. 10.
- Energy
Kyushu Electric Signs 15-Year Deal for 850,000 Tons a Year of LNG Canada Gas
The utility's first long-term Canadian contract takes about 40% of Mitsubishi's share of the Kitimat expansion on a route that avoids geopolitical chokepoints.
- Retail
Takashimaya October Sales Rise 2.1% as Duty-Free Slips 0.5% Against Last Year's Expo Boost
Japanese shoppers bought autumn jackets and stoles, but foreign customer numbers at its stores fell 3.2% and China arrivals remain far below last year as a new tax refund system starts.
- Bank of Japan
BOJ Summary Shows Board Split on Pace to Neutral Rate After 1.25% Hold, Sees Core CPI Above 3%
One member said the neutral rate is likely well above 1%, another urged the bank to make haste slowly, and a third warned the policy rate is already inside the neutral range.
- Deals
Mitsui Chemicals Agrees to Buy Chip Materials Maker JSR for 1.84 Trillion Yen
The deal takes the photoresist supplier out of state-backed JIC's hands two years after its take-private, with the Development Bank of Japan putting in 200 billion yen. Mitsui shares fell as much as 15%.
- Japan Economy
Japan's September Current Account Surplus Shrinks 46% to 2.37 Trillion Yen on Income Drop
Lower dividend income from overseas units and a return to a goods deficit cut the surplus, leaving the April-September total just short of last year's record.
- Autos
Honda Raises Profit Forecast 20% to 780 Billion Yen on Motorcycles, U.S. Hybrid Demand
First-half operating profit rose 48% despite 484.8 billion yen of EV-related losses, and the carmaker will build a $3 billion plant in Ohio as Chinese sales keep falling.
- Japan Bonds
Japan 30-Year Bond Auction Draws Weaker Demand as Bid Ratio Falls to 3.36 and Tail Widens
Investors bought the Finance Ministry's 450.7 billion yen sale at lower yields than in October, but with fewer bids and a wider gap between average and lowest prices.
- Telecoms
Rakuten, AST SpaceMobile Form Satellite Venture Backed by Up to 148 Billion Yen in State Aid
The 51-49 joint venture will build a Japanese direct-to-smartphone satellite network by March 2029, giving loss-making Rakuten Mobile a state-funded route into space.
- Earnings
Mitsubishi Corp Lifts Profit Forecast to 1.2 Trillion Yen and Sets 1 Trillion Yen Buyback
First-half profit at Japan's largest trading house jumped 74.2% to 619.7 billion yen as energy and mineral earnings recovered, and the company plans to buy back about 6% of its shares.
- Economy
Japan Economy Watchers Index Falls to 46.1 in October as Retail Mood Sours on Prices
The Cabinet Office survey of shopkeepers, taxi drivers and job agents slipped 0.9 point, with retail sentiment down sharply while restaurants and nonmanufacturers improved.
- Autos
Subaru First-Half Profit Rises 13% to 116 Billion Yen on Weak Yen, Lower Warranty Costs
The carmaker kept its 150 billion yen full-year target even as U.S. shipments fell 11%, and it is leaning on a 496,000-unit second half to get there.
- Energy
Japan Orders Chubu Electric to Fix Governance as Hamaoka Scandal Drives ¥215 Billion Loss Forecast
The industry ministry wants an improvement plan by the end of November, a week after the utility flagged a record annual loss and wrote off its stalled nuclear restart.
- Markets
SoftBank Falls 5.2% in Tokyo as Nvidia's Huang Exit Splits Japan's AI Stocks, Nikkei Edges Up
Tokyo Electron rose while SoftBank Group and Kioxia fell on Friday, a day after reports about Jensen Huang knocked chip suppliers and ended the Nikkei's three-day winning streak.
